Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 15

मङ्गलाचरणम्, तीर्थ-परिसरः, सूतागमनम् — Invocation, Sacred Setting, and the Arrival of Sūta

Devanagari script

पुराणविद्यामखिलां व्यासात्प्रत्यक्षमीयिवान् । तस्मादाश्चर्यभूतानां कथानां त्वं हि भाजनम्

Transliteration

purāṇavidyāmakhilāṃ vyāsātpratyakṣamīyivān | tasmādāścaryabhūtānāṃ kathānāṃ tvaṃ hi bhājanam

Translation

Da du die gesamte Purāṇa‑Lehre unmittelbar von Vyāsa empfangen hast, bist du wahrlich das geeignete Gefäß für diese wunderbaren heiligen Erzählungen.

Word by Word

• purāṇa-vidyām: Purāṇic knowledge
• purāṇa-vidyām: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vidyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पुराणस्य विद्या)

• akhilām: entire
• akhilām: Karma (कर्म/Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘all/entire’ (qualifying vidyām)

• vyāsāt: from Vyāsa
• vyāsāt: Apadana (अपादान/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative)

• pratyakṣam: directly, in person
• pratyakṣam: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (as adverbial accusative)

• īyivān: having obtained/approached
• īyivān: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु) → īyivān (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्तवतु-प्रत्ययान्त/Perfect participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘having gone/approached/received by going’ (context: having obtained)

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (हेतु/Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभूत-प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थ/तस्मात् = ‘therefore/from that’ (ablatival adverb)

• āścarya-bhūtānām: of wondrous (ones)
• āścarya-bhūtānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āścarya (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (सामान्यतः), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (आश्चर्यं भूता = ‘wonderful’)

• kathānām: of stories
• kathānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/कारणबोधक-अव्यय (particle: indeed/for)

• bhājanam: a vessel/receptacle (fit recipient)
• bhājanam: Karta (कर्ता/Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhājana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrative frame inferred: Sūta addressing the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya in the Purāṇic discourse style)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Characters & Entities

• Vyasa

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It establishes scriptural authority (pramāṇa) through the guru-lineage: knowledge received directly from Vyāsa becomes reliable, and a qualified recipient becomes a “vessel” fit to transmit transformative Shaiva teaching.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By validating the chain of transmission, it supports faith (śraddhā) in the Purāṇic accounts that teach both Saguna worship (Liṅga, pūjā, vrata) and the higher Shaiva understanding of Pati guiding the soul toward liberation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The implied practice is śravaṇa (devotional listening) and kathā-sevā under a competent teacher—approaching the discourse with purity, attention, and reverence, which Shaiva tradition treats as a primary sādhanā.